a99kitten's Musings

Went through my recipes and I am thinking…

Buffalo Chicken dip (Hungry Girl version) w/pita chips
Sour cream onion dip and Ruffles (my annual allowance)
Cheesy pigs in bacon blankets (they were big hits last year)
Bayless Mac and Cheese

and….I’m not sure….maybe Shepherd’s Pie? Turkey chili….Hmm…

Someone is bringing stuffed mushrooms and someone else cheeses and chips and salsas. Not sure what else is coming or from whom. I will have bubbly for me. Various beers for others of course. Will be a smaller crowd this year. But of closer friends so that’s better :) I need to get all the shopping done after work tomorrow as Saturday is a Napa wine day.

I don’t really care about either team this year but I have a bet on the Packers! And Aaron Rodgers is a good story/kid. Plus it’s kind of hard to root for a team with Ben R. on it. I find it rather funny (in that funny like a clown way) that the NFL welcomes a sociopath, dog-murdering felon back with open arms and celebrates him. Let’s a twice-accused rapist off with a 5 game suspension and yet Eddie DeBartolo still can’t own/actively manage an NFL team. Stupid.

But anyway – GO PACK! I do love cheese….

So the Oakland Raiders player who smacked Ben Roethlisberger so hard in the head on Sunday, that Big Ben went down to the ground (and he’s a big guy), after Ben tried to break up a verbal fight between players, after the play was done got fined $25,000 by the NFL but no other penalty.

In 2003, Saints receiver Joe Horn spiked the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Giants. He then pulled a hidden cell phone out of its the padding of the upright and used it to call his children. He was fined $30,000 by the NFL.

After a score in a Monday Night Football contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Terrell Owens pulled a Sharpie out of his sock and signed the game ball which he then gave to his financial adviser, who was sitting in a seat close to the end zone. Owens was fined $20,000 by the NFL for defacing the ball.

Wes Welker was fined $10,000 for making a snow angel after scoring a touchdown during a week 16 game against the Cardinals in 2008.

Get your head out of your ass NFL. Fine egregious actions such as hitting people, on purpose, for no good reason. But end zone celebrations? Or actions that occur as a result of football moves? You guys are systematically removing any fun or ability to play while making sure to not apply rules and stiffer penalties when you should.

There have been so many fines for end zone celebrations (which hurt who exactly?) and for things that occur as a result of them actually playing football – “Hi – I’m flying through the air as I am going to tackle someone and we both move in a split second causing me to land on him and one or both of us get hurt but it’s clearly not intentional.”

But the NFL was catching a lot of gruff from the media about concussions and players getting hurt so they had to step up those fines to appear as they were reacting. But instead it’s just a large amount of over-reacting in ways that don’t even seem reasonable. But then someone goes off and does something violent on purpose?

This quote bothered me more than anything:
“All the offensive linemen, as well as some of us, were getting chippy because they were chipping after the whistle,” Oakland linebacker Quentin Groves (notes) said. “As Ben goes and tries and break the fight up, Richard reacts. That’s just a reaction that a fighter has, and that’s what he is, a fighter. To react like that is just a basic combination.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-raiders-seymourfined

No – this is a human with a brain and the ability to know the difference between right and wrong. You should be able to recognize that you don’t just go off and hit people and blame it on a “fighter’s reaction.” I saw the play. And then all of the replays of it. The guy just went off and hit someone for no reason. And I’m not even a fan of Ben R but this was so ridiculous.

Although if I’m going to be honest, had this been Michael Vick who was hit, I would have applauded the Oakland player.

…fuck you.

WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Agriculture, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by WSBTV.COM, has released hundreds of pages of new evidence in its high-profile investigation of NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

The newly released documents include summaries of interrogations conducted by federal investigators with member of Vick’s dogfighting ring and with confidential informants in the case.

Among the most noteworthy revelations listed in the papers:

A confidential informant told investigators Vick drowned dogs, shot others to death and killed “them with a shovel.” Vick was also accused of getting an “adrenaline high while killing the dogs.”
/em>

Google it. Easy to find. But most people would love to ignore or worse yet…not even care.

QBs: Matt Schaub (HOU) and Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) for the bye week. Both Brees and P Manning were taken :(

RBs: Maurice Jones Drew – this scares me since I had a couple years ago and he did crappy for me (after a high draft as well) but then exploded last year so I chose him over Ray Rice….let’s see if that comes back to bite me in the butt.

Ronnie Brown (MIA) and Willis McGahee (BAL) (I so need another back-up RB)

WRs: Miles Austin (DAL…crap I hate rooting for DAL), Wes Welker (NE…crap I hate rooting for NE), Hines Ward (PIT) and Mike Wallace (PIT – this was an accident – I missed my time window) and Jacoby Jones (HOU..I have had Kevin Walters for a couple years so let’s see if this hype plays out…)

TE: Vernon Davis (SF – yay! Go Niners!) The TE I have had consistently for years (Dallas Clark) was taken out from under me. This annoys me.

DST: PHI (well…I can root for the D to keep their Offense off the field…)

K: David Akers (PHI)

One more week from today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This video just brought tears to my eyes. And I am SO excited knowing this is one of the last Sundays without real football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even if country music isn’t your thing the football stuff is worth the viewing…

Ok, party is tomorrow!! Oh yeah – so is the Superbowl :) Kinda sad really…it’s that same feeling that I get on December 24th. Loving Christmas so, so much but knowing it will all be over soon. Same thing with football season.

But oh fiddle-dee-dee, I’ll be Scarlett and think about that tomorrow! Menu will be:

Today’s Macaroni and Cheese (Rick Bayless recipe)
Jambalaya (scoured Internet for recipe – found on that sounds good on Food Network)
Hogs in a Blanket with cheesy dipping sauce
Buffalo Chicken Hot Wing Dip (Hungry Girl’s healthier version!)
Chips and Salsa
Ruffles with sour cream dip – always the first thing to be demolished no matter what
Various cheeses and crackers (courtesy of @missmelon)
Veggies (have to offer them even tho always the LAST thing to go no matter what!)
Homemade brownies (courtesy of @sonya415)
Beer (husband’s one job since I don’t drink beer)
And of course bubbly for me :)

People will bring stuff I imagine so I have no idea what else will be added to this but this is what I am making or know will be brought. I just need to figure out timing on making everything though…

Making Cipiriani’s pea risotto tonight with some chicken for dinner. I ate very little yesterday and won’t eat much today in preparation for dinner and tomorrow’s food fest. Yikes….my stepper will be my friend next week I guess.

I like both teams. And would be happy for either team to win. I need a high-scoring game to win our office pool but doesn’t actually matter which teams wins – just lots and lots of points on the board! But Peyton Manning is my QB1 so I’m rooting for the Colts to win. And will be wearing my #18 jersey tomorrow!

I hope for a good game played by both teams. No blow outs. And of course looking forward to some good commercials. I always tear up at the National Anthem because I’m a goofball. But I hush everyone up for that and always stand for it – even in my living room. The half time show? Well…I’ll watch it I guess. I think I know a song or 2 by The Who. I think? I must, right?

Storm is quite excited for the Superbowl as well. He is strategizing his food stealing knowing that tomorrow’s guests will be easy targets :)

What are you doing for the Superbowl??

It’s been interesting reading all of the intense hate for the Gators and Tim Tebow. I’m actually pretty much disgusted by people. I totally get and understand team loyalty, crazy school rivalries, etc. Good-natured razzing is fine. I yell for the Gators. I yell for the Niners. I yell for all of my fantasy football players. You know what I don’t do? Call the opposing teams fags. Call them suck-ass pieces of crap. Laugh and call them babies when they get knocked down and get concussions. And these are some of the nicer things I’ve read by the trash talkers…

But I’ve never been a fan of mean smack talk as it generally spirals downward quickly and really, at the end of the day, it will come back and bite you in the butt anyway. Your favorite team and favorite player will make a bad play or lose a big game eventually too…

But man – reading the bitter anti-Tebow rants has been eye-opening. Made me realize that some people have really never graduated emotionally from high school. Or maybe kindergarten? The insults I’ve read are not something I’d write here. But apparently because he’s not out impregnating half the cheer squad, his manhood is immediately questioned. Oh, and because he is religious – he’s a tool. And because he has not gotten into a tabloid-headline trouble, he’s a jerk (much, much worse was actually written than what I’ve said here.)

Really people? Would it be better if he was arrested for DUI? Or suspended for eye-gouging another player? Or kicking a downed player in the head? Or splashed all over the tabloids because he is partying in Vegas with Paris Hilton and impregnating a girl from his school at the same time? The NFL is full of hoodlum/immature players who were hoodlums and immature in college too. We don’t actually need more of those.

I just don’t get why people are making fun of him because he is, seemingly, a nice guy. Oh – is it because you are such a loser that you can’t imagine someone actually being a good person, not getting into boatloads of trouble, actually liking their parents, playing a game they love while going to school? Isn’t that what everyone wants for their kids when they send them to college? Is the problem here that you didn’t have those things so you are jealous? Or bitter because you never got to date the cool kid in school? Or is it just that your life right now is so sad that the only joy you get is from ripping on others?

Oh and making fun of him because he cried while the Gators lost to Alabama and calling him a p***y? Really? Have you watched any NFL play-off game or Superbowl on TV? The losing team is on the bench and the media always likes to show them crying. Of course they are crying – this is something they have been playing for all season, all year, all their careers. It’s their life. Tebow has been playing football since he was a little kid. He worked hard. He came into the starting QB spot at Florida after his freshman year and playing with Chris Leak and winning that BCS Bowl. He is a great player. And he takes his position as the team leader very seriously. He takes the losses personally. That is a quality you WANT in a leader. Not blaming your losses on others. Or worse, not really caring.

Is he the best player in football ever to be imagined or looked upon? I don’t know – he’s still in college. And probably not – but he’s not the one saying he is. That’s the media. Look to them if you are annoyed with the Chosen One status.

But if you want to trash talk (and I mean trash) a 22-year old kid for being a good player, a good person and nice guy – well, that says a lot more about you than it does him.

Thanksgiving weekend is drawing to a close. Sad that I have to leave snowy Tahoe but happy it’s now Christmas season! Started on Friday when I put up my tree here. And this week I will buy a tree for home. Very excited!! My tree routine is go pick my tree, get tree home and up, order pizza, put Christmas music on and decorate with a glass of bubbly. I’ve had this routine for years – at home (no bubbly then tho!) and then on my own. When decorated, you sit and look at your pretty tree and smile :) Every night when I come home from work, I will turn the tree lights and Xmas music on. Having my tree makes me happy. Period.

I tried very hard to not play any Christmas music until Friday but then on Friday – Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and more got plenty of play :) Christmas music really makes me happy. Well, let me re-phrase…I like well done Christmas music. I’ve heard some really bad pop or rap renditions…not a fan…at all. But there is nothing better than the old classics. My dad would play the Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis records over and over all month long. They are in constant rotation at my house now too :)

Went to our homeowner’s association Tree Lighting last night. They had a pretty big set up at the lodge with s’mores stations, pictures with Santa and plenty of games for kids. We saw Santa’s sleigh land too. Not exactly sure how they did it, but they did make it seem like he landed from the sky – had him come out of the dark forest so it was a good illusion. The kids (ok, me too…) were pretty excited to see it :) I wore my jingle bell antlers headband so the little kids liked to stop and talk to me :) It was sooooo cold out but they had a lot of the outdoor heaters going. It was a very fun event.

Fun football weekend. My Gators won!! The Stanford/Notre Dame game was great and I am on track to win my FF week. Although it will come down to MNF as I have Drew Brees and my opponent has Reggie Bush. I am very, very excited for that game. I am rooting for NO to win!

It’s time to get some Christmas shopping done. I love going to Stanford Shopping Center at Christmas time. They have trees and decorations everywhere, music playing, everything is lit up, the whole place is beautiful. It’s nice and festive and wintery. I actually prefer to get my shopping done online for most things but love going there just for the holiday ambiance. Walk around, get a hot cocoa or hot apple cider and check out all the store displays.

It’s very busy for me at work this time of year. And then you throw in being busy for holiday stuff. It’s so easy to get so busy that you forget to stop and enjoy this time of year. Always take some time to stop and enjoy the season. Watch the snow fall if you can. Or decorate your Christmas tree, even if you can only afford a small one. Or sit down and listen to Bing sing White Christmas. Oh – and watch a cute Christmas movie! Old classics, new classics – whatever tickles you. Find the time for these things. *Especially* if you have kids – they will always remember it. Presents are awesome – everyone loves them, loves to play with them, have them, etc, etc. But they will remember the things they did, trees decorated, visits to Santa, snowballs thrown, family traditions to repeat for years, the times you laughed together at Ralphie and his quest for a Red Ryder or rooted for Rudolph. It’s important. These are the things I remember from my family Christmas’ and always will.

Me and the buds Xmas 2005

What a stressful football weekend. My Gators won – yay! Keeping their perfect season alive and kicking. As Tebow keeps breaking moire records. I ordered my Tebow jersey last week – will be here this coming week – yay!

I won Survivor – chose MIN against DET. Should not have been a stressful pick at all. Although the first half was not so breezy. Won I survived. That’s what counts. But my last surviving opponent chose ARI and SEA looked like they were going to walk all over ARI at home…and then they started playing like SEA again :( So we both survived to pick next week – and we are getting down to the not so easy pickins’!!

In my weekly picks – I HAD chosen KC and GB to win when I made my picks on Tuesday night! But then I got stressed out since both OAK and KC suck but OAK is at home so went with the home team. Meh… And I bought the hype of DAL doing so well and coming back and blah blah. Should have known better. A Niners fan shouldn’t chose DAL…so lost weekly picks this week by 1 game when my original picks would have won easily. I also told my husband I wanted CIN over PIT today but took CIN. Again – dumb. Stupid. Idgit. Oh well.

In Fantasy – my 2 “star” wide receivers got me a combined score of 11 points. W.T.F? Hines Ward and Marques Colston = 11 points total. Thanks guys. I *almost* put in Cotchery or Bowe over Ward but then thought I’d be the idiot. No…would have been smarter.

Sidney Rice got me 80 points with 201 receiving yards. Amazing. Frackin’ amazing. And my BYE week pick-up of Ladell Betts looked dismal starting the day as he reportedly was still battling a sprained ankle…great…and then he got me 50 points! YAY! That’s more than any of my “star” RBs have gotten me all season. Nice.

My PIT defense got me 10 points. Not the 35ish they were projected. I swear if Polamalu isn’t playing (injured and out in 1st Q) the PIT D SUCKS!!!! Ugh.

Before the Sunday Night battle royale (IND vs NE), I made “The Waverly Inn Truffled Mac and Cheese”. Quite excited. Very simple recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 tbsp. salt
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1.5 tbsp. Dijon mustard
5 cups milk
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese – shredded (2 cups)
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese – shredded (2 cups)
1 tsp. table salt
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
White-Truffle oil to taste

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch over over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tbsp. salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander. Add a drop of olive oil to prevent sticking.

2. In the now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour and mustard and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly (mixture must reach full boil to fully thicken). reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 tsp. salt until fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is heated through.

3. Top with bread crumbs and broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle truffle oil to taste. Cool about 5 minutes, then serve.

I made this with come cheeseburgers. YUM!! This was quite a tasty meal. And the mac & cheese was quite simple compared to some others.

Going into tonight’s game ahead by 30 points. I have my star TE – Dallas Clark. My opponent has Joseph Addai though. Stress….

I am watching tonight’s game wearing my Peyton Manning jersey :) GO CLARK! GO COLTS!

After trying the mac & cheese, I feel it is not as good as the others I have tried (all from my mac&cheese cookbook). Kinda bland. It’s mac & cheese. I’ll still eat it. It’s better than most food. But not OMGI”LLDIEYUM if you know what I mean :)

Well, I lost my fantasy week. Very sad about this. Especially since I lost to a guy who was trying to snake a trade in with another team manager which I felt was completely bogus. The league vetoed this trade but when someone comes to me to justify something that I feel is ridiculous. Well, I tell them so. Sucks that I lost to him. If Brees and Colston would have just been more productive for me I would have won – damn it! So now I will be 6-3…not sure where that will land me league-wise. At least Hines Ward got me 2 TDs tonight for more points cushion.

I did win our weekly picks pool! For the 3rd time this season!!! This is a record!! Very happy about this :) I just found my cash from my last win in another purse yesterday :) I am keeping it aside for my shoe/bag fund! I think for the time invested – I am doing VERY well in the weekly pools compared to my fantasy team.

And I survived our weekly Survivor too. With a Seattle pick. Holy hell I was stressing into the 4th quarter of that game! Just 2 players survive – both girls :) The only 2 girls who played Survi. Hehehe…But now the picks will just keep getting more stressful! I’ve used most “sure thing” teams. While realizing no team is a sure thing…I’ve used most of them except for Indy. But really…Any Given Sunday…

And my Gators won! Yay!!! Of course I read more gator-hater articles and crap. But meh…And my Bucs won!!! They are sad this season but yay for them winning against Green Bay!! Was a great game! Oh! and I did order my Peyton Manning jersey! To go with my Joe Montana, Ocho Cinco and Alex Smith jerseys :)

I really do love football….